A New Perspective
by Honeybat
Summary: Harry finds himself in Snape's body. What will change?
1. Chapter 1

**A New Perspective**

Part 1

Harry pushed the eggs and bacon around on his plate. It was the last breakfast before leaving Hogwarts for the summer and probably his last chance for a full meal for the rest of summer. The mere thought of going back to the Dursley's at Privet Drive made him nauseous, thus not able to eat even this last breakfast. With his Godfather dead, Harry was sure they'd treat him even worse than usual, which meant scant food, back breaking chores and frequent beatings.

He glared at Dumbledore, sitting there on his 'throne', like everything was right in the world, after committing a fifteen-year-old to starvation and prison. Anger boiled up within him as he remembered the stern orders to stay inside the property, preferably inside the house at all times. The Order of the Phoenix would be OUTSIDE, watching, to make sure he didn't leave. Sure, Dumbledore said they were there to protect him, but he didn't believe that piece of crap at all. He was pretty sure they were there to keep him inside.

He sighed, and forced away the desire to just run off screaming, and instead his eyes slid to the Potions Master sitting right next to the Headmaster. The man looked smug, as usual. Maybe he was thinking up new ways of torture for next year, or perhaps the Headmaster had plans for more Occlumency lessons? Harry shuddered at the thought and made the terrible mistake of meeting the man's eyes across the room. Instantly there was a spike of pain in his head and the Greasy Git was in his mind.

Harry's simmering anger erupted, and instead of pushing as he'd tried in vain in the Occlumency lessons, he grabbed a figurative hold on the invading tendril - and pulled.

Harry had time to see the surprised look in Snape's eyes before things went all weird for a moment. He blinked. He blinked again, then looked around himself. He was at the head table, next to Dumbledore and Flitwick. He looked down and saw pale, long fingered hands and a black clad chest through a curtain of greasy black hair. He gulped and threw his eyes across the room, towards the Gryffindor table.

There, at the usual spot, right between Ron and Hermione, sat himself. The look of confusion on the boy's face was priceless. Harry couldn't help himself when he realized just what had happened. He'd switched places with Snape! Oh, this was just priceless! The smirk that came over him was definitely worthy of the Snape-body he was currently in.

It didn't take Harry two seconds to decide what to do once he'd realized what had happened. He made a pained groan and made to favor his left arm. "Headmaster, I need to go," he moaned just loud enough for the old man to hear before he pushed back his chair and stood.

"Be careful, come talk to me when you return as usual," Dumbledore whispered back before he returned to his own food.

Harry put his now longer legs to good use as he strode to the staff exit on the side of the Great Hall. He almost laughed when he felt the robe billow out behind him as he made way towards the floo in the antechamber next to the exit. Only teachers were allowed to use the castle's internal floo-system and he found he'd guessed right as he stepped through to the Gryffindor common room. He took the stairs up to the fifth-year-boys-dorm two or three steps at a time.

He tapped out his trunk pass phrase with Snape's wand "Once a Marauder, always a Marauder!" The trunk obediently opened to reveal the controlled chaos inside. Within half a minute he had grabbed the Marauders Map, his photo album and his Invisibility Cloak. If he was going to switch lives with Snape for the summer, he wasn't about to give the bloody git any advantages. The rest of the stuff in the trunk was pretty much junk, well school-work and junk. Snape was more than welcome to the hand-me-downs. He closed the trunk and reactivated the locks. With some luck the poor potions master wouldn't even be able to get into it. He smirked again as he shrunk the album and map and put them into one of the many pockets he found in his new robes. To make sure nobody saw him leave, he donned the cloak before leaving the dorm room.

As he was about to connect the floo to the entrance hall, he realized he somehow knew the password and address to Snape's personal quarters in the dungeons, as well as the fact that Snape's floo could connect to the outside world. "Perfect!" he chuckled triumphantly. Moments later he stepped through into a large sun-lit room, with windows covering one whole wall. It was amazing, not even Dumbledore's office was this open and airy.

He shook his head and turned back towards the floo. He'd better make sure nobody followed him that way, or got in the rooms by the front door. He placed his wand on the mantel and ordered the password changed, then strode towards the door out of the rooms and changed that password too.

Turning around, looking out across the lake and forest, Harry finally allowed himself to relax momentarily. Whatever Snape was doing in his body, he wouldn't be able to get into his quarters and he probably wouldn't make a fuss in the Great Hall. Dumbledore was already expecting him to leave. He had a few minutes to decide what to do, or more accurately; where to go.

He was in Snape's body. The body felt strangely comfortable and right even though it was different in all dimensions. He frowned as he ran his hands down his robed chest. He felt strong and the clothes comfortable and non-restrictive, even though they were more snug than he was used to. Even the high collar he'd always thought looked like it was choking the potions Professor, was now comfortable. He could barely get a finger in between the collar and his throat, but still it didn't feel confining at all. He frowned, something more than the body had definitely remained of Snape, he knew things he shouldn't; like the passwords and how to change them.

He looked around the room and knew instantly what was behind the three doors; bedroom, library and private lab. The bedroom was made in somber midnight blues and gold, and had a nice en-suite with a large bath, toilet and sink in black marble with gold fittings. White floors with soft black rugs and towels. On the edge of the tub were a long line of potions bottles containing hair-serums and shampoos. All this he knew without even going in there.

He ran a hand through the not so greasy as flat and heavy hair in amazement as he found he could pretty much browse through Snape's memories at will. Somehow he'd not only breached the Occlumency walls, he was behind them and knew exactly how to maintain and build them now. He closed his eyes and looked at the mindscape. Snape's shield was like hard black stone, only now there was a hole blown in it, from the inside. Snape had made a small hole to get his Legillimency-probe out, and Harry had pulled Snape's conscious mind out through it, leaving all his memories behind.

Harry strangely had no problems accessing his own memories, they materialized as needed. It was as if he'd moved into an already furnished flat, and everything he found there was his to use. There was absolutely no privacy for Snape, he had access to pretty much every little memory. When he looked around, the only thing he couldn't find was the emotions associated with the memories. There was a lifetime of knowledge and memories, but they were dry facts, they felt flat and somewhat unreal. Good thing too, it made it easy to separate what was his and what was Snape's.

Harry grinned as he stepped over to the windows to look outside. The rooms seemed to be somewhere high up in a tower, though Snape's knowledge told him the windows were charmed to show the view and the rooms were actually deep into the dungeons. The feed was live though, and he watched as the students began leaving the castle. He didn't know what Snape would do down in the great hall, so he decided he needed to leave too, before he was caught. Who knew how long this would last? Maybe all it took was another eye-contact moment and he'd be back in his own body. He couldn't risk that, not now that he had freedom within grasp.

Quickly, he browsed Snape's memories and soon found an old manor he'd inherited from his maternal grandfather hidden in a dusty corner. Prince Manor, sure sounded grand. He couldn't find any information on why his Professor had never gone there. Must be something highly emotional, he figured.

In his bedroom, he pulled out a small box hidden in his sock-drawer. In it was a gold ring with a rather gaudy silver and black crest. He put it on, something he thought he'd never done before. He frowned; why had he just thought of the room, the drawer and the ring as HIS? A brief moment of pain, and the ring fit snugly on his finger. The snake on the crest hissed at him. "Greetings, Head of Prince." It said.

He grinned. "Thanks, little snake," he hissed back, amazed he could still use the Parseltongue skills.

He stepped out into the parlor again and grabbed the emergency kit from the top of the table next to the door. It contained the potions, ingredients and tools he most commonly needed in the school's and Dark Lord's service, including a couple sets of robes and his Death Eater mask.

"Ring of Prince, take me home!" he ordered, again in snake-tongue.

The Portkey pulled him away, through wards and all. He was dropped off right in front of a huge white marble Castle, complete with turrets, battlements and a moat. He scratched his head as he watched the wondrous sight. "Why did I decide not to go here, again?" he asked himself as he waited for the drawbridge to lower and let him cross the water.

The ring activated on his finger at his words. "This is Slytherin Castle, the ancestral home of all Parselmages. I could not have taken you here without a command in Parseltongue. If you intended to go to the Prince family Manor, you should state so."

"Then can both Harry Potter and Voldemort come here too?" he asked the ring.

"Yes, with their family rings on their fingers, they can travel here."

"Can you tell if Voldemort has been here?"

"The castle was dormant until we arrived. The wards tell me nobody's been here since Lazarus Slytherin died five hundred and sixty years ago."

"And here I stumble on it by pure chance, wonderful." He stepped up to the gate once the bridge had lowered to reveal it and give him access.

Instinctively, again, he knew what to do. He pulled a small silver knife out of a sheath in his sleeve and cut his palm. With a pool of blood in his hand, he banged it flat against the door. "In the name of Severus Snape and Harry Potter, I claim this castle as Mine!" somehow feeling the need to add both names, as he felt strangely like being both at that moment. Maybe he'd take a new name for the duration. Hmm, Harry Snape? Severus Potter? Salazar Prince? No, none sounded right, somehow.

The enormous gate slid open silently at the slightest push. It opened into a large courtyard. Everything was neat and orderly, as if the place had been abandoned only yesterday.

"Welcome home, Lord Prince," came a squeaky voice from right at his feet.

He looked down and found an ancient looking house-elf, bowing. Apparently the elf recognized his Lordship even if he had not used it to claim the castle. "Hello there, little fellow. Who are you?"

The elf looked up. "I's Benny, head elf, My Lord!" it squeaked excitedly. "I's so happy Master is Home!"

"I'm happy to be here, Benny. How about you show me around the place? Maybe there's somewhere I can find more information about the castle and previous Masters?"

"I can do that, Master," the elf eagerly nodded before he sped ahead. "Come this way…"

Harry followed the elf around the grand place, at a pace befitting his new Snapely persona. When he sat down two hours later with a cup of tea and some sandwiches, in a cozy study he was in awe of the place. Hogwarts may be bigger, but Slytherin Castle was grander and better furnished in every way.

It felt like a home. In the weirdest way, it felt like it was HIS home, just like the body he was in was rapidly becoming HIS as well. He checked the time. He'd been in Snape's body mere hours, and he already had trouble separating his memories and Snape's memories, even if Snape's personality wasn't even close to his. When he looked into his mindscape, he could see Potter-memories mixing with the original Snape ones in there. Potter-emotions were attaching to the Snape-memories. He couldn't help wonder what would happen when he went back to his own body. Did he even want to return to being The-Boy-Who-Lived? Maybe he'd let Snape live the full experience with Durzkaban, overprotective Headmaster, Ministry smear-campaigns and Voldemort visions. Maybe after a summer like Harry Potter, the guy would also have some identity-issues?

He found a sheet of parchment and a quill in the desk he sat by. He'd better write the Headmaster.

_Headmaster,_

_I am sure you know by now what happened this morning. Professor Snape once again invaded my mind, without my permission, and this time I managed to fight him back. Only, instead of pushing him out, we somehow switched minds. I do not know how it happened, I did not do it on purpose, no matter what the Professor says! As far as I'm concerned, this was HIS doing, so HE will just have to endure the situation._

_I told you again and again, that I did not want to go back to the Dursleys. You never listened. Go ahead now and send my body back there, if you wish, I do not care. I intend to enjoy my new freedom as an adult and stay away until school starts up again on September 1st. Find us a solution to the problem in the meantime, or I'll be happy to work as your Potions Master for the next year while you work on it._

_Harry_

* * *

_Mr. Potter,_

_I am very disappointed that instead of trying to immediately resolve the situation, you ran off. Because of this I had no choice but to send Professor Snape to Privet Drive with your body as it is your blood that charges the wards there._

_I demand that you return to Hogwarts immediately, so that we can switch you back to your normal body. Switches like this have been known to happen with occlumency and Legilimency-students from time to time and can easily be rectified._

_Albus Dumbledore_  
_Headmaster_

Harry laughed heartily when he received the letter from the headmaster along with his breakfast the next morning. Professor Snape was indeed enjoying Durzkaban in his stead. "Serves you good, you bastard!" he sneered as he grabbed another piece of toast. He considered the situation, but couldn't make himself care. The man had made every single Potions-class hell, and whenever he could, he'd belittled and insulted him.

No, it would be for the best if he stayed gone. There was so much to learn at Slytherin Castle, and he would not be able to return until he was seventeen if he switched back. He wondered if he'd have to relearn all the Dark Magic and Potions knowledge that he had inherited from Snape. He didn't want to risk losing all that knowledge and the opportunity to learn even more. He decided to stay. He'd seen hundreds of books and scrolls on Parselmagic and thousands more of other ancient arts he'd never even heard of before.

The reply to his Headmaster's demand came easily.

_Headmaster Dumbledore,_

_You may be as disappointed as you want, I do not care. I have found a nice place to spend the summer and will not return to Hogwarts until the new term begins, as I previously stated._

_Please do make sure Professor Snape survives the experience without getting me expelled or thrown in Azkaban for underage magic or the murder of my relatives. I will not switch back if he does; I will remain where I am._

_Harry_

He gave the letter to Benny to send, and put the issue right out of his mind, even if he knew he would have to revisit the issue later in the summer. Maybe he'd find a solution in the library. He made sure to keep an eye open.

When the next letter came during dinner three weeks later, he was already completely and irrevocably immersed in Dark Magic.

_Harry,_

_It is difficult for me to write to you and admit that I had been wrong to keep sending you back to your relatives' house._

_As of this morning your body and Professor Snape, had to be transferred to St. Mungo's for severe trauma to the body and face. He somehow managed to alert the guard outside before he passed out. From what we can determine, he's been beaten and starved ever since he was placed there. He even now remains unconscious, but the Healers reassure me he will recover._

_I am truly sorry I never believed how difficult your situation there was. I will not allow you to return there, no matter the protection against Voldemort._

_Albus Dumbledore_

"About bloody time someone got through to the old man," Harry blurted out, when he read the letter. Feeling a touch of sympathy for Snape's fate, he then he went back to his dinner. He didn't think much about his old life, he was too busy with his new one.

A whole new way of doing Magic had revealed itself to him on the pages of the ancient scrolls. Parsel Magic was Dark, dangerous and wandless, he loved it. The more ancient magic he learned and the more he practiced from the memories from his new body, the more he changed. Any snake animagus form came easily once he tried it.

The man who two weeks before start of term decided it was time to do the ritual to remove his Dark Mark, was no longer Harry Potter or a copy of Severus Snape. No, he was a Dark Mage who believed himself even stronger than the Dark Lord, thus theoretically able to overcome the magic binding him to Voldemort. Of the ignorant young boy, there wasn't much left.

He certainly had no intention of ever switching back to his weak young body again. Not after finding out what it was like to be healthy and strong. He'd even improved upon the body with the help of some pretty powerful Parsel healing spells. His complexion was now a healthy tan, his nose straight and his teeth even and white. With his long, well washed hair in a ponytail, and with some new clothes, they wouldn't even recognize the body as once belonging to Snape.

The last letter from the headmaster had arrived that morning. It made him finally stop hesitating. Whatever the result of the dangerous ritual, he'd be free from all bindings set upon him.

_Harry,_

_Professor Snape was able to claim your inheritance from Sirius Black, so he has been staying at Grimmauld Place since he was released from St. Mungo's a month ago. The Weasleys and Ms. Granger wanted to move in with him, but we decided against it, since we have not told anyone what happened between the two of you. Professor Snape feared he'd be unable to fool your closest friends if they were to meet him face to face._

_We told The Order that "Professor Snape" has been away on a mission to find some rare potions ingredients for the Dark Lord, thus nobody in the Order was told the truth either._

_We await your arrival at Grimmauld Place any time next week for the switch back to normal._

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry sneered at the thought of even returning, but decided it was time to face his past, and put it to rest before he moved on to his next task. He wouldn't be telling Dumbledore or his Order that he intended to replace the previous Dark Lord.

He had discovered early on that Dark that didn't necessarily mean Evil. A real Dark Lord was needed in the Wizarding World to keep the balance and keep the Dark from running amok and becoming equal to Evil, as had happened with Voldemort. To Harry, Snape was an anomaly. A Dark Wizard didn't belong with the Light. But what choice did a non-Evil Dark Wizard have in the current times? Neutrality?

Snape had evaded the temptation of Evil, even though he'd been tethered to it with the Dark Mark. Snape was the Order's spy against Voldemort, but the Harry version would not be spying, he'd be all out fighting. He'd be fighting for his own cause. Hopefully, he could get the boy-Snape on his side once the man had gotten over the fact that he wouldn't get his old body back after all.

Two days after his final decision, Harry put the finishing touches on the Bond Breaking Ritual he'd created out of several similar older rituals. He was by then certain that it would break his connections to Voldemort. The Mark had been burning on and off all summer, but never managed to do him much damage once he'd started practicing Parsel healing. He'd numbed the area and forgot about it. The most peculiar to Harry, had been the mind-connection to Voldemort he'd had before the switch; it had transferred to the new body. Thus, he'd figured it was some kind of soul-bond, and those could also be broken with a Parsel ritual if it was made by a Parsel Mage. Voldemort was a Parsel Mage.

Satisfied everything was ready; Harry slid off his ceremonial robe and stepped into the circle made out of Parsel Runes. With a wave of his hand, all light was banished and the ritual could begin. It was done entirely in darkness, as were all Dark Parsel rituals. To do the Dark version of this ritual would also mean for Harry to renounce all Light Magic. He would never be able to cast a purely Light spell again, and he'd never be able to return to his old body as long as it was Light.

Voldemort fought his every command, but in the end the Serpent Prince stood victorious. The air of the small ritual room was alive with the Dark Power he'd stolen from Voldemort during the struggle. It was glorious! Laughing in pure joy, he held out his arms, palms up, and drew the Power inside of him. It was as if the dark room was set ablaze with sunlight when the Power filled his eyes and enhanced them.

Overwhelmed, he fell to his knees. "Darkness, hear my plea! I will forever be thy servant, thy champion, thy Lord!"

"So mote it be!" a dark gravelly voice echoed around him.

He knew instantly that in his delirium he'd gone one step too far. Then the comfortable darkness surrounded him like a blanket, he laughed again; this time accepting the Power as his own, making him the true Dark Lord.


	2. Chapter 2

A New Perspective

Part 2

The Order meeting taking place in the kitchen of #12 Grimmauld Place came to a halt when the light in the room suddenly dimmed. The back of the room became completely dark for a moment, then a shadowy figure materialized out of the dark fog. With a sharp gesture, the darkness seemed to get sucked into his hands. Yet, the light in the room remained dimmed compared to before his entrance.

"Good evening, members of the Order of the Phoenix!" he greeted with a miniscule bow to his head.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" came Moody's gruff voice, along with an even dozen pointed wands.

The still hooded man let out a small chuckle as he pulled back the hood of the long black cloak. "Sorry about the theatrics, I do believe I have an appointment with Dumbledore and Potter this evening," he said meeting the surprised eyes of the Headmaster across the room.

"Indeed, I do believe you do, yes," the old man replied, wisely not using any name since nobody seemed to recognize him as Snape anymore. "Please, everyone, put your wands down."

When nobody did as their leader requested, the dark figure shook his head with a smirk. He held out his hands as to show he was unarmed, forgetting to put away the inch long silver and onyx claws he'd grown since he'd become the Dark Lord.

A gasp came over the room, and he noticed what they were reacting to. He kept his voice casual. "Oh, sorry, forgot about those," he let them melt into his fingers, making his hands look normal again. "I am no threat to you, we have a common goal; the defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort." He pulled up the left arm of his robe and shirt. "I have left the Dark Lord's service, and I am here to ask your assistance in freeing more of Voldemort's slaves."

The room was still uncharacteristically quiet. "You have a way to remove a Dark Mark?" Dumbledore asked neutrally.

The dark man nodded. "I do. I have removed mine, and I can remove the mark from any Death Eater. As a measure of faith, I will let you in on a Dark Lord secret only known to him and me. All Marks need to be removed before Voldemort can be killed. The Marks tethers him to this world, makes him immortal. We have a difficult task ahead before "The Boy of Prophecy" can kill the menace."

There was a slight wince on Dumbledore's face. He did love to keep secrets, and this would have been one he'd hold close to his chest for sure. "Are you certain?" the old man asked over the wave of whispers across the room.

"Yes, I don't believe in secrets, old man! You people are the main force in the fight against Voldemort, you NEED to know what to do to defeat him!"

"Then tell us who you are!" Moody's voice came from the sideline.

The dark man laughed. "That is actually not an easy question." He turned towards Dumbledore. "Is it, old man?" He turned back to Moody. "Let's see if you can figure it out, huh? Are you missing a marked member perhaps? Is someone not acting the way he used to?"

Moody made big eyes, apparently getting part of the equation.

He nodded. "Yes, I washed my hair, I straightened my nose and I whitened my teeth…" He paused briefly "…and stopped talking in a sneer," he added in a perfectly Snape voice.

"Professor Snape!" the two previously quiet twins called out at the same time.  
"Indeed!"

"Why would that be so difficult to answer?" Moody countered the bored sneer. "Seems pretty straight forward to me."

"Please, do not answer that, my boy," Dumbledore pleaded.

"Why not, old man? I'm sure you're starting to realize things will not return to the way things were."

"Please, let us speak privately before you do."

"You do not trust the people in this room, Dumbledore?" the dark man asked, a dangerous hint to his voice that hadn't been there before.

"I do," came the reply, but they could all see the slight hesitation there.

"I know you like keeping people in the dark. Merlin knows you've kept me in the dark my whole life. Now I'm Dark, and unless I convince you now that we have the same goal in this war, that you have nothing to fear from me; you will declare me just another enemy. Don't think I haven't heard the whispers behind my back already."

"Bloody Hell, Harry!..."

"…You hijacked Snape's body!" came the two twins again.

Harry grinned. "You guys are way too clever, you know that?" he winked. "You're absolutely right!"

"Harry! Give Professor Snape back his body this instant!" came the commanding voice of Molly Weasley.

He shook his head. "Why am I not surprised? Switching back is not an option anymore, I'm afraid Molly. Things have changed too much for it to work."

"Please Harry, let us try!" Dumbledore asked.

"I know this is not fair to the Professor, but I'm afraid he's going to have to take one for the team. As you like to say; it would be for the Greater Good."

"Why are you being so selfish, Harry?" Molly reprimanded.

Harry shook his head sadly. "I have the power to remove Dark Marks, I even have the power to track them. If we switched back, we would lose that. Instead we'd have to kill them all to kill Voldemort. Tell me, Molly. What would you choose?"

She looked down. "If you could do it, maybe Professor Snape could learn?"

"Why am I not surprised you're automatically dismissing Harry Potter from doing this. He's the child, he's to stay out of the war, right? He couldn't possibly be capable of finishing this, right? He's too young!" he sneered. "You may have tried to keep him isolated and ignorant, but let me tell you, that is no longer the case. You see, the dear Professor left all his knowledge and memories behind when we switched. I am Harry Potter with a Potions Master degree; a Harry Potter who spent twenty years as a Death Eater, spying on the Dark Lord; a Harry Potter who's embraced all those experiences and made them mine. To be perfectly honest, I no longer consider myself to be Harry Potter."

"Still, my boy, I am going to have to ask you to switch back," Dumbledore ordered in his fatherly way.

He was getting angry at their stubbornness. "You may from now on refer to me as The Serpent Prince, Headmaster. I am no longer 'your boy', nor am I your student, you ward, your servant or your friend. I came to tell you how to win this war." He shook his head sadly. "I guess I have accomplished that. Now it's up to you to use the information wisely. Show this meeting to Snape in a pensieve, tell him to owl me. I'll agree to a private meeting when he's calmed down." He bowed his head. "Good Bye!"

The Prince stepped back and with his arms and cloak wrapped dramatically around him, he let the black mist surround him again. When the mist dissipated, he was gone.

* * *

The Prince sighed when he arrived back at his castle. That hadn't gone as well as he'd hoped. It seemed he was still an optimist at heart. He should have known they wouldn't support him the way he wanted. Then again, maybe he was too impatient; they did usually take some time to come around. Not that dear Molly would ever think of him as anything but a child; something he'd not been since he was five and was put in charge of doing all the Dursley household chores.

He tossed the cloak across the back of one of the library wingback chairs and moved over to the large table in the middle of the room. He'd spread a large magical map of the British Isles across the table. He'd made it himself, with the Marauders' Map as a template. He'd mapped every single Death Eater as of the night before he removed his own Mark. Unfortunately any update would have to wait until he'd captured himself one of them. He needed a Mark to initiate the tracking of a Death Eater.

The Map was littered with the helpful little red dots. He wished he could tell them apart, but the ancient magic didn't conveniently give out names like the Hogwarts Wards did. He only knew where they were, not who they were. Some, he could make a reasonably good guess, of course, but still… He sure had his work cut out for him.

He glanced at the concentration of green dots, and the one golden one in a London neighborhood. The Order meeting was still going on.

He relaxed back in one of the chairs. The intricate silver and onyx tips on his fingers slid out again when he relaxed. He wondered briefly what about his bond with Darkness had created them. They sharpened and dulled as needed, and channeled the Dark Magic better than any wand. Black lightning sparked between his fingers when he concentrated briefly. He made a fist, and they didn't cut him. They were one more weapon given to him in his quest. He briefly wondered when exactly his need to be 'normal' had disappeared. Nothing about him was normal anymore, and he didn't mind the slightest.

"Benny, get me a glass of red wine, thanks!" he ordered the little elf hiding in the corner. He might as well relax for a bit, he had a feeling he wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else until he heard from Snape.

As he waited, he wondered if he'd get Snape as the partner he wanted. He'd hated the man for five years, yet now he felt closer to him than any other human being. He couldn't help wonder how the experience had changed the other man. He snorted. "Probably the same snarky bastard he's always been!" No, the Prince had no illusions that the two would ever be friends. He'd settle for some mutual respect.

When the Owl-wards pinged two hours later, he'd long since finished the wine and was reading one of the more interesting old Slytherin biographies. He checked the map, only the golden dot remained in place.

_Potter,_  
_Have you gone completely BONKERS? _  
_Get over here!_  
_Now!_

The note wasn't signed, didn't need to be. He'd recognize that scrawl anywhere, even written with his old faulty fingers that had been broken and burned too often as they grew to work properly.

Chuckling at the image of the other man's indignant anger, he threw the cloak across his shoulders and gathered the Dark Mist around him. He truly liked the unique way of travel, there was no dizzying spinning, or being squeezed through a tube as with other magical transportation. He gathered the Mist, decided where to go, and willed the Mist to appear there, and he appeared along with the mist.

He stepped out of the mist back in the Grimmauld Place kitchen and automatically absorbed the Mist as usual. The obviously pacing boy stopped to stare at the arrival. The Prince remained quiet, studying the still bruised boy glaring at him.

"What the hell did you do to my body?" the boy growled.

The Prince smirked, very reminiscent of the body's previous owner; but the way he spoke was very different. "I made it mine when I moved in, of course." He nodded towards the boy's body. "I see you've recovered somewhat from the summer visit to the Dursleys. Had a nice time, did you?"

"It appears, we are not so different after all; you and I," Snape said with a defeated sigh as he sank down onto a chair half way down the table.

The Prince sat down at the end of the table, keeping some distance between them. "I was so angry when nobody would listen to what I told about them, that I had to go back there. Dumbledore thought I was exaggerating, you thought I was lying, my friends couldn't even imagine what it's like. Nothing I said helped, so when this happened, I took the chance to finally get the truth out."

Snape looked up. "I do understand now, Harry. I…I apologize for not listening, for holding onto my prejudice. I'm truly sorry, Harry."

"I'm sorry too, Professor Snape. I never intended to make the switch permanent, but here we are."

"What did happen to you? Nothing about you seems to be the same."

"I am quite willing to tell you all my secrets, but they will have to remain between you and I. I certainly won't tell them here, where the Order is listening in. I will say, that my ultimate goal in speaking with you is to have you as my partner in the hunt for Death Eaters and Voldemort. I'm not returning to Hogwarts and I don't think you should either. There's nothing there for either of us to learn and we'll never be safe there."

Snape looked at Harry for a long moment before he made his decision. "I, Severus Tobias Snape, in the body of Harry Potter, swear upon my life and magic, to never reveal the secrets of the man known as The Serpent Prince unless given permission in advance. I also give my oath to give any aid that is within my power in your quest to defeat Voldemort and his Death Eaters."  
"So mote it be," the Prince accepted the oath with a nod and a swirl of magic surrounded them momentarily. He rose as he felt the wards around the property ping with the arrival of another powerful wizard. He held out his clawed hand towards Snape. "Come, we better leave before Dumbledore tries to trap you here." They heard the front door open.

Snape grabbed the hand, and the Prince pulled him close and wrapped them both in Mist. Dumbledore never had time to reach the room before they were gone.

* * *

"That wasn't what the old man had planned, was it?" Prince asked as the Mist cleared to show the magnificent view of the Slytherin Castle in moonlight.

"No, he ordered me to persuade you to return to Hogwarts, and together we'd be researching ways to reverse this."

"Oh well, I'm sure he'll survive the disappointment. Anyway, welcome to Slytherin Castle."

"I don't understand. How did you find this place? I certainly don't know anything about it."

The Prince laughed. "It was a total accident. The famous Potter Luck, struck again!" He held out his clawed hand and showed him the Prince Family Ring. "I put on this little ring of yours, and ordered the cute little snake on it to 'take me home' in Parseltongue. Turns out 'home' to a Parsel Mage are this place, and you need a Family Head Ring to find it." He started across the lawn to the gate. "Come on, I'll add you to the wards, you'll be able to come and go as you wish."

"I'm speechless, even after all this time knowing you. Only you would find and claim a whole Castle, by accident!"

"Hey, what happened to your compulsive need to insult me?"

Snape gave an amused chuckle in return. "Somehow it feels like I'm insulting myself when I do. I don't know when it happened, but two months of living in your head seems to have cured some of my snarkiness. It's weird."

Harry snorted. "Believe me; I know all about what happens when you move into someone else's head."

"I can see you do. You've gone completely Dark haven't you?"

They went through the formalities of adding Snape to the wards and entering the Castle before Harry replied to the question.

"I have not just gone dark, Snape. I'm the bloody Dark Lord, chosen by the Darkness itself, no less."

Snape stopped, gaping in surprise now. "You're serious?"

"Oh yeah!"

"You're being pretty nice for a Dark Lord," he deadpanned.

"I'm seducing you over to my side, of course," Harry grinned predatorily, snapping his claws. "Everyone knows the one who has The-Boy-Who-Lived on his side will win."

"Oh, is that right? And what's in it for me?"

Harry grinned mischievously. "Hmm…what would you want?" he asked mock thoughtfully.

Snape considered the question and while he did Harry swiped his hands towards the younger looking man. Tendrils of black lightning crackled between them, and Snape gasped when his equilibrium suddenly shifted somewhat. He looked down, to find the rags he had been forced to wear had turned into his regular black ensemble. Black hair fell down his face.

"What did you do now?" he startled when he realized the cadence of his voice was back to his old drawl.

A laughing Dark Lord conjured a mirror in front of Snape with a chuckle. "I thought you'd feel more comfortable in your old ensemble, Professor."

In the mirror was a Harry Potter dressed in Snape's black robes, with long greasy hair, minus the bruises, chipped teeth and too pale skin. It felt weirdly like coming home. He turned back to the other, with his fixed nose and teeth, with hair pulled back and even longer. None of them were recognizable anymore. "I like it," Snape grinned. "Feels comfortable, familiar even," he mused. "You healed all my lingering wounds?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. Did you know Salazar Slytherin wasn't just a Potions Master? He was also a very powerful Dark Healer; something that has been a forgotten art for many centuries. When the Light outlawed everything Dark, they also lost a very powerful tool in the Healing Arts. Join me fully, be my partner, and I will not just heal your new body to its full potential, I will teach you how to be a Dark Healer." He grinned again. "How's that for an incentive?"

The chuckle that came out of Snape, was one of disbelief. "You ARE trying to seduce me. Healing Magic? Are you sure you're Dark? The Dark I learned were all rather destructive."

Harry again held out his hand. Black mist filled the air above his palm, then black flashes cracked through it. "Yes, all my magic comes from Darkness. I no longer have any Light magic within me, nor am I able to conjure it from the environment. Dark can be used to do anything you want, except bring light. A Lumos is beyond me, but I can still conjure fire easily." The Black mist turned into warm flames. "My patronus is gone for good, but Dementors and Lethifolds are Dark Creatures, thus under a Dark Mage's command. Dark and Light are equal and opposite. In nature they exist in eternal balance. Either can be good or evil, it's the choice of the practitioner."

The grin that came upon Snape's face was beautiful to behold. "You have no idea what a relief this is to me. The Dark always called out to me, still does in this body; and to know it is not something I have to fear giving into…" he was grinning like a madman.

"It's quite the revelation, isn't it?" Harry grinned back, extinguishing his theatrical display with a gesture.

"Yes, and strange! To think two months ago I was your professor, and now I'm prepared to become your apprentice. How did you learn all this so fast?"

"I got all your knowledge for free, so to speak. After that, once I had embraced the Dark, it was a matter of molding the magic to my will. The many books and scrolls here told me what was possible, and somehow instinctively I knew how. Dark Magic on this level isn't about wandwaving and complicated incantations, it's all silent and wandless. It was only a couple of days ago I took the final step and did the Bond Breaking Ritual that ended with me becoming the Dark Lord. A lot of the knowledge and confidence needed to act the part actually comes from you. It's amazing what difference the memory of two decades as a grownup makes for an insecure teenager," he winked. "Though I'll never be such a stickler for titles and formality the older generations always demanded."

"I know what you mean; I get now how it's a shallow way to show respect. Before, I would have been furious at the mere hint of a forgotten Sir or Professor. Now, having your ten years of forced politeness to your tormentors, I find respect is in the attitude and action more than the correctly used title."

"I think we've both become better and more complete people," Harry nodded. "It's amazing how we've already had a whole normal conversation; our first ever."

"And I believe we have much to discuss in the future, as well." Then he surprised Harry by going down on one knee, bowing his head. "I, Severus Tobias Snape, in the body of Harry Potter, hereby expand my promise of aid, into the full pledge of my eternal loyalty to the Dark Lord known as The Serpent Prince!"

"So mote it be," the both of them finished, thus Harry accepting the pledge and binding the other man to him.

"As a measure of my trust, I will share my Dark knowledge and you will have the freedom to choose your path in life. I am your Lord, but I will never be a dictator, like Voldemort and Dumbledore."

Snape rose, and got the shock of his life when his Dark Lord actually 'hugged' him. "Welcome to the true Dark Side, Severus!"

Snape blinked at the strange moisture welling up in his eyes when they stepped apart. "When Dumbledore told me you'd gone dark, that no matter your words you were lost to the cause; he was so very wrong. You are the cause, and you WILL be the Savior of our world."

"Dumbledore is too Light and too old to ever understand. More importantly, he's not the Light Lord. For someone so Dark-phobic, he's far too ready to use the Dark to achieve his precious "Greater Good". For Magic to crown him Light Lord, he would have to renounce Dark in the way I did Light, and he never will."

Harry swung an arm around the shoulders of his new partner. "I think it's time to retire for the evening. I've had the suite next to mine prepared for you."

"Good idea, I do think I need some time to think on what's happened."

"Tomorrow, I'll show you around, and we can make plans for the future."

Together, they ascended the many stairs to the Master Floor where there were several suites reserved for the Castle's Masters.

**End**


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